Becoming Mrs Jane Fairfax-Churchill
by revengeofthenerd
Summary: Follows Jane Fairfax and Frank Churchill post Emma Approved. Multi chaptered, so stay tuned. AU Emma Approved Universe.


"If you want to win big, you've have to bet big."

"Jane." He stood up when he saw her walking toward the white, clothed table he had reserved for them.

"She put her hand out for him to shake, but in his head, he was gingerly drawing it to his lips and kissing the back of it, like a gentleman.

He shook her hand. He knew enough of her character and respected her enough to know that she wouldn't be pleased with his gentlemanly charm tonight.

"Thank you for meeting me." She looked nervous. Jane Fairfax was nervous just about in a blue moon. Even more seldom is when she shows how uncomfortable she is. Maybe she's off tonight or maybe Frank has just learned how to tell her moods. He's clearly learned how to get under her skin.

"I almost didn't."

"Regardless, it's good to see you. I've missed you."

He pulled out the chair for her, and they sat.

"It really hasn't been that long." She didn't tell him just how much she missed him too. Missed him and hated him, and then hated how much she missed him.

"I don't care. I miss being with you, talking to you, coming to your aunt's house and spending time with you."

"My aunt didn't move."

"You wouldn't have wanted me to visit."

The tension tangible. Jane prided herself with being about to hang with the big boys of the corporate world. It's what first intrigued him about her. She was shy and modest, but fearless when it came to what she believed in. Jane Fairfax would never back down from a fight, or in this case, a staring show down.

Frank twirled his straw between his thumb and forefinger, trying to act relaxed. Jane took a small sip of champagne.

Mr. Churchill was the first to break the awkward silence.

"I sold Richman Corporation."

She smiled tightly. "Yeah, I know. It's almost all I've been hearing about. "Her smiled dropped, and her eye lashes fluttered slightly, as if she didn't know what to do with her eyes. "You do know that you selling Richman Corporation doesn't mean everything is fixed, right?"

"I know. Of course, I know. You do know that I didn't sell it to get you back, right?"

The look on her face suggested that she hadn't know. "Then, why?"

"What they were doing wasn't right, and I couldn't just turn a blind eye anymore. I tried to get them to fix and give up the water, but they wouldn't, so I sold."

He reached for her hand and she slid it into her lap.

He didn't let it phase him. "Jane, I've been wanting you back since the moment you left me, but I didn't sell the company for you. Jane, you made me a better person. You showed me that I have the power to make a difference. That's why I sold Richman. Because you showed me that every single person leaves behind an influence, I want to make sure mine is positive. I want to make you proud. "

Her eyes closed completely. "I am proud of you. I'm proud that you took that to heart, but I don't know what you want me to say. It wasn't just the Richman deal. IT was how you acted around Emma. You conspired with her against me. I know we couldn't tell people we were together, and I know that it was my choice to keep our relationship a secret, but you didn't have to treat me like dirt around everyone else. You could've been on my team. That's all I ever wanted was to have you on my team."

He could tell that she was close to tears. He had only ever seen her cry once before. That time he was there comforting her. This time he was the cause of it. "I'm so sorry Jane. I am on your team. I know I wasn't before, and I feel terrible about it. I thought you wouldn't want any help from me. "

"Everyone needs support."

He grabbed her hands, and this time she let him. "Jane I don't have an excuse. I shouldn't have acted that way with Emma. I can't believe how stupid I was. I forgot that I had the ability to hurt you. You're so strong, it's hard to imagine you getting hurt. But I promise you, Emma and I's relationship was completely platonic. Both of our hearts belonged to someone else."

She stopped short. "What? What are you talking about?"

"I'm in love with you."

She waived him off. "I know that. I'm talking about Emma. What do you mean 'her heart belongs to someone else?"

HE laughed. "You really don't know? Alex Knightley of course."

She almost choked on her Scallops. "What? Alex and Emma? I've known them my whole life and I never would've guessed. Are you positive?"

"Absolutely. I saw the way they looked at each other. It was the same way we look at each other." She pretended to ignore him, still hung up on the love lives of her two former friends, but his words vibrated through her chest.

"Have they been together for a while? Are they still together?"

"They just got together from what I understand. They were very obviously a couple the last time I was there, which was about two weeks ago."

Somewhere inside Jane, a light bulb came on. She suddenly realized that the world already put too much in the way of love and that she didn't need to stand in the way, too.

"Frank."

He responded with his eyes, pulling the words out of her with a single expression. "I love you, too. I really do, and I want to be able to trust you. I want to be able to rely on you. I'm tired of feeling like the only one invested in this relationship."

"You're not the only one invested. I'm angry with myself for letting you believe that you are, but not anymore. I love you and I'm not backing down. I'm not going away, and I'm never going to leave your side as long as you let me be with you."

He paused a moment to take a knee next to her chair, and her heart was beating so hard and fast and LOUD that she could barely focus on him. She covered her mouth. HE couldn't tell if it was in shock or horror.

"Jane Fairfax, will you marry me?"

She popped up out of her chair, and she was thankful they were on the private balcony of the restaurant instead of inside the crowded dining hall.

"Are you crazy? This isn't how it's supposed to be! We haven't even dated that long! We're supposed to talk about it and discuss it! Take time deciding and figuring out if we're a good fit for each other. You can't just spring it on me. Marriage should be because we love each other and are right for each other, not because you're trying to win me back!"

He stayed on one knee, and if he didn't stand up soon, Jane was fairly certain that she was going to have a panic attack, if she wasn't already. He had pulled out a black ring box that held a simple but elegant stone on a silver band. "I'm not proposing to you because I think that it's the only way to get you back, I'm proposing because I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and because sometimes you don't have to figure it out. Sometimes you just know, and trust me, I know. We don't have to get married right away. WE can have a long engagement. I just want to be tied to you completely. I am so serious about you. More serious than I have been about anything that wasn't work ever."

She covered her face with her hands. "This is crazy..."

"Do something crazy for once."

"Okay." Her voice was muffled by her hands.

"I'm sorry, what? I couldn't quite catch that." HE wasn't smiling yet, more like holding his breathe. He thought he heard her answer, but he had to be sure.

She took her hands away from her face and pulled him up, swinging their hands between them. "Yes, I will marry you."

He pulled her into his arms and she laid her head down on his silky suit jacket shoulder. She moved a hand up to his cheek and kissed him gently, like she had missed doing the past month or so.

"I love you."


End file.
